The Pirate's Lady
by Lollipop456
Summary: Some OOCness. When Silver receives word that Jim has contracted The Space Plague, he rushes to Montressor to be with him, knowing that he's putting his life at risk. By taking care of Jim together, Silver and Sarah find themselves falling in love.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah Hawkins was hard at work, serving her customers at The Benbow Inn, which was not easy considering she had no help. Her son, James "Jim" Hawkins was still in bed asleep; he was only 16, so Sarah knew it was just typical teenage behavior. By now, however, Sarah was growing frustrated and knew that she needed Jim's assistance.

After serving a hot pot of tea to one of the customers, Sarah walked upstairs and went into Jim's room. She found him turned on his side, facing the wall, and sound asleep. Sarah rolled her eyes and walked up to the bed.

"Jim, you cannot spend all day in bed." Sarah said.

Jim only groaned and pulled the covers over his head. "Not now, Mom."

"I need help with our customers. I don't have the time to get you out of bed."

Sarah pulled the covers off of Jim, and he sat up in bed. It didn't long for Sarah to see small, red blisters on Jim's hands.

"Jim, what happened?" Sarah asked.

Jim looked down at his hands and sighed. "It's nothing, Mom. It must be some sort of allergy."

Sarah, not buying Jim's story, pulled up the sleeves of his nightshirt and saw that the blisters were all over his arms. Jim jerked his sleeves back down and climbed out of bed, searching for his clothes.

"Jim, they're all over your arm. This isn't just an allergy."

Jim shrugged. "Come on, it's not too bad."

Sarah sighed. "Jim, Doctor Hemming is downstairs for breakfast, I can ask him to see what is going on."

"I don't need to see a doctor. Especially the senile Hemming."

Sarah, in no mood to argue with Jim, gave another sigh of defeat and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Morph, a little blob able to morph himself into anything, came out from underneath the bed. He floated up to Jim, and gave him a look of concern.

"I don't want her to worry, Morph. I feel fine, so it can't be anything serious."

Jim removed his nightshirt so that he could change his shirt. By standing in front of the mirror, Jim could see the blisters covering his back. When he faced the mirror, he saw the blisters were also on his chest. Morph studied him, his expression of concern not changing.

"It's nothing." Jim put on his shirt and pulled it down. "It's nothing."


	2. Chapter 2

Jim struggled during his shift. Because of the blisters on his hands, it was painful to carry anything and the sight of food was making him want to vomit. At around 3, his skin became cool and clammy, but there was still another thirty minutes left before he could rest. Sarah watched him with a cautious eye, making sure that her only child did not stop breathing in front of her.

"Jim, after you clear those two tables, I want you to march yourself straight up to bed." Sarah finally said.

"All right, Mom." Jim was too weak to argue with his mother and the idea of a bed was starting to sound wonderful.

As Jim made his way over to a table to clean it, a wave of dizziness began to drown him and pain shot through his whole body. No longer able to fight anymore, he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"Jim!" Sarah rushed over to Jim and smoothed back his hair, her fingers began to burn as they made contact with Jim's skin. "Doctor Hemming! Doctor Hemming!" She shouted.

Doctor Hemming, an elderly alien with nearly red skin, an extra set of eyes and a set of tentacles below his arm, made his way over to where Jim and Sarah were.

"My God, Sarah. How long has the boy been this way?" Doctor Hemming looked over Jim's frail, blistered body.

"He's had a cold for a few days. This morning, he woke up with all these blisters."

"I don't even need to feel his forehead. The perspiration tells me this lad has a very high fever. We must get him upstairs."

Doctor Hemming gathered Jim in his arms and Sarah showed him where Jim's bedroom was and he laid him on the bed. He pressed his ear to Jim's chest and then shook his head in dismay.

"His breathing is shallow, there's a slight rattle in his chest."

"Then it's pneumonia." Sarah said, knowing a thing or two about illness from past experiences.

"No, my dear. There are no bumps or blisters present in pneumonia. No, it's something else. Something far worse."

"What is it, Doctor Hemming?" Sarah asked, clutching her apron in her hands.

"I can't say for certain. I must check one last thing."

Doctor Hemming stood, tilted Jim's chin up carefully and then opened his mouth. Inside, he could see even more blisters on Jim's tongue and gums, some of them had even begun to bleed.

"Does James have any specific hobbies outdoors, Sarah?" Doctor Hemming asked.

"Well, ever since he was ten, he's loved to solar surf. He's not done it as much since he returned from the Academy."

"But he still does it?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, from time to time. Why? What's wrong with him?" Trying to keep her voice even and calm.

Doctor Hemming sighed. "Sarah, my dear girl, James has contracted The Space Plague."


	3. Chapter 3

"The Space Plague?"

Doctor Hemming nodded. "Indeed, Sarah. It's an illness that is contracted when one inhales the dust of meteorites and space rocks. Of course, we all do this and it cannot be helped due to where we live. That said, it is easily avoidable if one limits the time they spend outdoors. From what you've said, James has an admiration for solar surfing. This only increases the risk of developing the Space Plague, not only because it is an outdoor hobby but because it involves air which means he has a doubled chance of inhaling the particles that float through the air."

Sarah nodded, trying her best to take this information in. Was it her fault then that Jim was sick? She had never heard of the Space Plague and wondered if she, as a mother, should have restricted Jim's solar surfing.

"You've done nothing wrong, my dear." Doctor Hemming said, almost reading Sarah's thoughts. "Lads must have fun and, as a parent myself, I could never allow to see my children miserable indoors."

"W-Will he be all right?" Sarah asked.

It was only then that Dr. Hemming frowned, he looked down at Jim who was now resting. He pulled the covers up so that they rested under Jim's chin and then he looked back up at Sarah.

"It's a very serious condition, Sarah. James is strong though and he is young, This should work in his favor."

"But there is a chance that my son could die."

Doctor Hemming sighed and nodded. "Yes, there is."

Sarah collasped into a nearby chair. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly; the thought of losing Jim was unthinkable. Her husband had abandoned them both and been killed in the process, now she was going to lose the only other person that she loved.

"Sarah, pull yourself together. James needs you to care for him. A doctor can only do so much." Doctor Hemming said.

Sarah nodded and wiped away her tears. She went to Jim's side and pulled back a strand of his brown hair, but then backed away.

"Doctor, is it contagious?" Sarah asked.

Doctor Hemming chuckled. "Certainly not. What also is fascinating is that one can only contract once in their lifetime."

Sarah sighed. "Well, that is good news."

"Indeed. Now, I must return to my home and fetch some supplies. Stay with him, keep him calm and only give him fluids. Food is not an option until the sores in his mouth have dissappeared, which should be in the next 24 hours."

Doctor Hemming left the room and Sarah sat at Jim's bedside. The bumps on his body had large and red, and his skin was as pale as a sheet. Occasionally, a series of coughs would wrack his body. He would shiver, but he could not be cold because beads of pespiration ran down his face.

"Silver..." Jim muttered.

"Jim, what did you say?" Sarah asked quietly.

"I need Silver, Mom. I need Silver here." Jim's voice was audible now but he didn't make any sense.

"Silver? Jim, what silver?"

"Please..Please, I need Silver."

Sarah shook her head. What was Jim talking about? There was no silver at the inn. Perhaps he was dreaming of a treasure hunt. Morph, however, who had been listening knew exactly what Jim wanted and it definitely wasn't a what. It was a who. Jim wanted Long John Silver, a cyborg pirate that had once owned Morph and he became like a father to Jim.

Morph floated down to the parlor, blending himself in with walls and nick-knacks to get past guests. When he reached the parlor, he found a map that was enclosed in a glass case. Before Silver had left, he had confided in Morph that he would be on the planet Triss. That was where Morph needed to go and, fortunately, it was not far at all. It would only take a day to get there if he left now and it was known fact that morph was a fast traveler due to his species.

So, slipping out the window, Morph set out for Triss. By daytime, he had reached the planet and though he was tired, he had to find Silver. Knowing Silver was an excellent cook, the first place that Morph searched was all the taverns. Tavern after tavern and still there was no sign of Silver. When the little pink blob had been close to giving up, through a glass window he could not believe what he saw: Silver serving people some food. Morph wasted no time and floated quickly into the tavern and over to Silver.

"Morphy, what are you doing here?" Silver asked.

Morph began squeaking away and trying to get Silver to leave. Of course, Silver didn't understand.

"Now Morph, slow down. What's happened?"

Morph thought for awhile on how to get the message across to Silver. He finally had an idea and morphed himself into the number 2.

"Two words?"

Morph nodded eagerly and quickly morphed into a tiny version of Jim. Silver's only eye widened in surprise.

"Jim. What about Jimbo, Morph?"

Morph then morphed himself into an ear.

"Sounds like?"

Morph then turned into a foot and did a kicking motion.

"Kicking?" Silver guessed, but Morph made himself into a small blob. "Kick?"

Morph nodded and Silver began to ponder what words rhymed with "kick."

"Thick? Brick? Pick? Sick?"

When Silver came to the word "sick," Morph turned into a stop sign. It was then that Silver knew exactly what Morph was saying.

"Jim is sick? Why didn't you say so?"

Morph rolled his eyes and followed Silver out of the tavern. Never mind that Silver was an outlaw on Montressor and other areas of the galaxy, never mind that he hadn't even thought to pack any belongings. Jim was sick and Silver had to be there for him. He knew it had to be bad else Morph wouldn't have fetched him.

Like before, it took only Morph and Silver a day to reach Montressor. By the time they arrived there was a meteor shower, so Morph led the way to the inn. Silver pushed the door wide open, surprising all the customers at the inn. Sarah, who had heard the door open from upstairs, went to see who arrived.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

Silver couldn't believe it. A beautiful woman was standing in front of him, she seemed to favor Jim and he wondered if this was his mother. Laughing nervously, Silver removed his hat.

"Beggin' your pardon, miss, but I came here looking for Jimbo."

"Jimbo? You mean Jim?"

Silver nodded. "Aye, that's him. I heard he was ailing and came to see him."

"Wait a second, I have two questions: How did you know that Jim was sick? Second, who are you?"

"Well, to answer your first question, I can only say that a little morphy told me about Jimbo er...Jim. In answer to the second question, the name is Silver. Long John...Er...David Silver."

"Silver. Oh my goodness, it's you! Oh, thank goodness you're here. Jim has been asking for you."

"For me?"

Sarah nodded. "At first I wasn't sure what he was talking about and now I know. He keeps asking for you."

"W-What exactly does he have?"

"The Space Plague, Mr. Silver."

Silver could feel his heart, though made of metal, drop into his stomach. He, as a young boy, suffered the Space Plague and had nearly died. So that he wouldn't appear soft, he had told everyone that he lost his leg and his arm in duels. That was far from the truth. An infection developed when he had the plague and that's what took his limbs from him. If something like that happened to Jim or something worse...

"Might I see him?"

"Yes, he's upstairs."

Though Silver was worried out of his mind for Jim, he could not help but feel an attraction towards his mother. She was a handsome woman with an elegant frame and caring eyes that Silver had never seen from another woman. Alien or human.

"If I may ask, miss, what is your name?"

"My name is Sarah. Sarah Hawkins."

"Ah, so you are Jim's mother."

"Yes."

When Sarah and Silver reached Jim's room. Silver could not believe what he saw: No longer was Jim a vibrant, lively teenager. Laying in the bed was the frail, sickly, blistered body of a boy. Silver went to Jim's bedside and knelt by his head.

"Jimbo, I'm here." Silver laid his good hand on Jim's forehead. "Come on, Jimmy, look at me."

Jim opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. "Silver, it's you."

"Aye, it's me. You don't worry now that ol' Silver is here. I'm gonna take care of you."

"I feel so sick."

Silver frowned. "I know, Jimmy. Just close your eyes and sleep now."

"Don't tell Mom that I feel sick." Jim whispered.

"I'm afraid that she already knows." Silver whispered back.

Jim nodded and closed his eyes to sleep. Once he was sure that Jim was resting, Silver rose and went over to Sarah.

"It's bad right now. His fever's high and it keeps raising. The blisters are swollen, never a good sign. He's not been given food, has he?"

Sarah shook her head, a bit surprised. "N-No, he hasn't. The doctor says it's best to wait until the blisters in his mouth have healed."

"Aye, it is."

"How do you know so much about The Space Plague?" Sarah asked.

Silver shrugged. "I went through it meself. I came out of it, but it did cost something valuable."

It didn't take Sarah long to figure out what Silver was talking about. She looked at Jim and then back at Silver.

"Could Jim lose something "valuable," Mr. Silver?"

"Not if we get him through it."

"We?" Sarah repeated.

"Now that I'm here, Mrs. Hawkins, you might become use to me. I ain't leaving this room until Jimbo is well again."


End file.
